Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Administration Goes All Out To Encourage Sign-Ups As Critical Open Enrollment Kicks Off

In a year of roiling marketplaces, the Obama administration pushes hard to make the fourth enrollment period successful. Meanwhile, media outlets report on exchange news from Massachusetts, Tennessee, Minnesota, Maryland and California.

Morning Consult:
Administration Crosses Fingers For Robust Obamacare Enrollment
Consumer advocates and Obama administration officials started working Tuesday to sign up millions of consumers for Obamacare coverage as the fourth open enrollment period kicks off. Kevin Counihan, the CEO of HealthCare.gov, said the administration is going “all out” this year with an education campaign and on-the-ground partnerships to encourage sign-ups. The administration needs a successful enrollment to ease concerns about the cost of insurance under the Affordable Care Act. (McIntire, 11/1)

The Hill:
HHS Chief Kicks Off ObamaCare Signup Period
The Obama administration is hitting the airwaves Tuesday to promote the final ObamaCare signup period of Obama's presidency. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell took part in nearly a dozen radio and TV interviews to kick off the first day of ObamaCare’s open enrollment period for the federal marketplace. This year, health officials hope to boost ObamaCare’s numbers by 1 million to reach a total of 13.8 million customers. (Ferris, 11/1)

The Wall Street Journal:
Health Law Enrollment Opens Amid Volatility
The fourth open enrollment for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act opened Tuesday, a critical 90 days that the Obama administration hopes will boost participation and stabilize markets roiled by premium increases and insurer withdrawals. HealthCare.gov and state equivalents began taking applications Tuesday morning from people signing up for individual health coverage and learning about their eligibility for subsidies. (Armour and Radnofsky, 11/1)

The Washington Post:
Where Obamacare Prices Are Rising Dramatically
Open enrollment for the insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act kicks off Tuesday, and there’s a good chance consumers logging on to compare plans will face some sticker shock. Monthly insurance premiums for popular plans on HealthCare.gov are rising by 25 percent on average next year, according to government data. But the increases will be more dramatic in certain parts of the country, especially for consumers not receiving subsidies, the numbers show. (Marte, 11/1)

Boston Globe:
Health Insurance Turmoil Expected As Rates Climb For Some Consumers
Massachusetts Health Connector officials are bracing for disruption as people who buy their own health insurance start signing up for coverage on Tuesday, the first day of the three-month enrollment period. A significant minority of Connector customers face big increases in premiums and may decide to change plans. The Connector estimates that nearly one-quarter of its subscribers will have to pay premiums that are at least 15 percent higher in 2017 if they want to keep their current plan. But most Connector customers will see small increases or even decreases in their premium costs. (Freyer, 11/1)

Nashville Tennessean:
2017 Individual Health Insurance Market Enters New Era
Tennessee's 2017 individual health insurance market offers new, and more narrow, options for shoppers. So far the path to coverage has been flush with plot twists for insurers, shoppers and health systems. This time last year shoppers were getting ready to plow through another round of premium increases (as well as bigger subsidies), restructured networks and plans from an evolving cast of carriers. But 2017 isn’t just a new chapter; it’s a new era marked by who’s in and who’s out of networks. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s decision to back out of the Greater Nashville individual market — as well as Memphis and Knoxville — turned 2017 options upside down just over a month before open enrollment started Tuesday. (Fletcher, 11/1)

Pioneer Press:
MNsure’s 2016 Open Enrollment Starts With Delays, Crashes
As thousands of Minnesotans visited MNsure’s website Tuesday to sign up for health insurance, many were greeted by errors and website crashes. Those calling its hotline reported long waits and disconnections. “What a mess,” said Susan Campbell, a resident of Itasca County who spent nearly four hours on the phone Tuesday morning, most of it on hold. The “mess” had multiple causes. An apparently unrelated website issue brought MNsure — and around 70 other state websites — down for half an hour Tuesday morning. The call volume from Minnesotans heeding MNsure’s advice to shop early set an all-time record for the 4-year-old health exchange. And a possible robocall attack may have further jammed up the call center. (Montgomery, 11/1)

The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Health Exchange Opens For Enrollment
The state's online health exchange opens today for enrollment in 2017 health insurance plans. People who do not have coverage through an employer can review plans from four insurers and enroll on the exchange website, marylandhealthconnection.gov. UnitedHealthcare, which covered about 10 percent of enrollees last year, pulled out of Maryland's exchange and many other exchanges around the country. It will stop providing coverage to those currently insured at the end of the year. This year, the exchange also unveiled a mobile app for searching and enrolling. (Cohn, 11/1)

The Baltimore Sun:
Evergreen Health Plans Listed But Not For Sale On Health Exchange
Marylanders hoping to buy health insurance from Evergreen Health through the state's online insurance exchange, which opened Tuesday, will have to wait. In a bid to stay in business, Evergreen announced plans in October to be acquired by a group of investors and convert from a nonprofit to a for-profit insurer. It won't be allowed to sell health plans through the exchange unless and until the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves the proposal, Matt Jablow, an Evergreen spokesman, confirmed Tuesday. Evergreen plans and pricing continue to be listed on the Maryland Health Connection in hopes the review will be concluded soon, said Andrew Ratner, an exchange spokesman. (Gantz, 11/1)

Sacramento Bee:
Next Test For Covered California
California has been an enthusiastic adopter of President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul, but that hasn’t inoculated the state from growing pains. While many Republican-led states resisted creating insurance marketplaces, legislators here moved swiftly to launch Covered California. More than 2.8 million Californians have gotten coverage via the exchange since it opened in 2014 and about 1.4 million are actively enrolled. (White, 11/1)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.